The Katherine of Aragon Festival
Peterborough Cathedral, 27-29 January 2017
Hen
ricus Rex, The eighth of that name since the Conquest in 1066. By Grace of God Kynge of Englande, Wales, France and Lord of Irelonde, Fide Defensor.
And so it came to pass that on the 7th January 1536, Katherine of Aragon, the Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII, died at Kimbolton castle, having been exiled from Court since 1525. when Henry became infatuated with a Lady-In- Waiting, Anne Boleyn.
To the end, Kathryn still claimed to be England’s true and rightful Queen. Upon her death bed she wrote to Henry-
My most dear lord, king and husband.
The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe you forceth me, my case being such, to commend myself to you, and to put you in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters, and before the care and pampering of your body, for the which you have cast me into many calamities and yourself into many troubles.
For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also. For the rest, I commend unto you our daughter Mary, beseeching you to be a good father unto her, as I have heretofore desired. I entreat you also, on behalf of my maids, to give them marriage portions, which is not much, they being but three. For all my other servants I solicit the wages due them, and a year more, lest they be unprovided for.
Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things.
Katharine the Quene.
Katherine was buried quietly and quickly in Peterborough Cathedral so as to avoid bringing her body back to London where she was much favoured by the people above Anne Boleyn.
Henry did not allow their daughter, Princess Mary, to attend the funeral.
Henry, Katheryn & Anne lurking behind.
Our role at the Festival was to give four Royal audiences each day. These were well received, by children and adults alike, in the New Visitor Centre in the Cathedral precincts. As well as pertinent topics of our reign and situation, we also discussed and showed off Tudor fashions, food, sports, and the King’s Great matter.
This is typical of the service that BKH offers- well researched, high quality, Interpretation and delivered in both 1st and 3rd person manner. Grateful thanks to Izabela [KOA], Molly [AB], Stuart for the booking , and Lucas for the pics.
Further reading can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon
28th December 2016.
Yes it was that cold. And foggy. Without socks.
Minus 4 degrees on arrival at Venta Icenorum, the market place of the Iceni tribe just south of modern day Norwich, in the village of Caister St Edmund, and home to a thriving Roman township from the 1st to the 5th Century AD.
So what makes a guy like me do this?
Well, let me start – with an email in July ’16 from Mr David Yates of Norfolk County Council. He asks if I am interested in being part of their Winter ‘Walking & Cycling Festival’. Intrigued, and looking for work in the ‘quieter season’ of historical events, I am keen to say yes, without really giving the weather conditions/time of year much consideration.
So, what would the job entail, I ask? David says we have 2 days for you – could you meet a group of walkers at Venta as if on a morning patrol as a Roman soldier? And then ride a bicycle around mid-Norfolk, in the guise of an RAF airman from the Second World War, looking at the features of an old RAF Aerodrome at Attlebridge? Of course, I’d be delighted to…
Both sets of equipment checked in readiness, all I needed was a period bicycle, and my good friend Stuart has one and happily obliged with a loan. Stuart had restored his bike into a WW1 guise; it has only one gear, painted khaki green for Historical Interpretation as 6th [Cyclists] Batallion, Royal Norfolk Regt. [below]
Stuart with his bicycle.
On the 14th December 2016 I arrange to meet David and some of his cycling colleagues out at Attlebridge station on the disused railway line now known as Marriotts Way for a recce of the proposed route, checking the surviving features on the map etc. [see below pdf]
worldwar2airfieldscyclelooprafattlebridgeandhockering
I must, at this point, make a confession. I hadn’t ridden a pushbike for 30+ years. It was, as they say, interesting! We stopped regularly to look at locations and archaeological remains en route, and the whole journey including stops for narration and explanation of features was scheduled for just under 4 hours- a comfortable trip for all ages and abilities. Surprisingly my backside was ok afterwards due to the quality leather Brookes saddle, my knees however were a different matter and much Ibruprofen gel was applied.
On the 20th December- a sunny winters day, I met David at Caistor Roman Town for a similar, warmer recce of the planned 3 mile route around the perimeter of the site, picking up useful additions to the talk/tour, such as the Defixio lead curse tablet found in the River Tas which flows adjacent to the site.
http://www.norfarchtrust.org.uk/caistor
So, onto the events proper.
The scheduled walk around Caistor on 28 December coincided with a deep ground frost, the first serious subzero temperature of winter. De-icing the van, throwing my soft woolen clothes [ tunica, focale & panenula] into the cab for some thawing out as having been stored overnight in the van, I set off for the 40 minute drive to Caistor, ready to change into XX Legionnary Marcus Aurelius Dorsuo in the car park [glamorous, huh?]
Once there, I realised that I didn’t have my pedulia so barefoot in caligae it was! Now this IS cold- no socks! 
Meeting the 30 walkers in the car park, they soon discovered that I take this historical interpretation m’larky seriously- they tried to get me to go back and change into my modern boots with socks! What would Nero have said to that? I just couldn’t do it- so 3 miles with frosty feet it was.
For those interested in the equipment, I was wearing a woollen tunica, scarf [focale], leather sandals [caligae], a mail shirt [lorica hamata], legionary helmet [galea], military belt [cingulum militare], sword with baldric [gladius with balteus], dagger [pugio], with the cloak [panenula ] over it, and finally the shield [scutum] and javelin [pilum] .
All walkers including me made it back safely in about 2 hours. Feet now thawed and all well- no frostbite!
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I was lucky enough on the 2nd January to be assisted by my dear colleague Mark Taylor in the guise of PFC Hank ‘the Yank’ Gently, from the 8th Air Force. Mark is an expert on the ‘8th in the East’ and as our story involved both RAF and USAAF, we made a dynamic team, full of insights and innuendo!
The weather was slightly different from the Roman walk – the previous day had seen heavy rain all day, and then a frost overnight, so the roads were icy but the sun was out, and fears of rerouting were soon avoided once we set off from Attlebridge station car park and the roads thawed in front of us.
Leading the cyclists past Attlebridge station
We freewheeled south, crossing the A1067 and then headed up the long slope into Weston Longville, past the Parson Woodforde pub [sadly closed for refurbishment this time].
We stopped at scheduled points around the aerodrome, now dominated by 2 huge wind turbines, and home to numerous Bernard Matthews turkey sheds, but the main runways are mostly intact. Originally home to 88 (Hong Kong) Squadron of the RAF flying Blenheims and Bostons, it became Station 120 with the arrival of our American cousins.
Picture: below dated 1946 shows the extra long east-west runway, extended to 2000 yards long in 1943 to take Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers.
Our journey took us around the full perimeter of the site- hidden in the woodland to the east are remains of the ammunition stores and bomb dump.
There were 4 squadrons of B-24’s here in the late war, 784, 785, 786 and 787 squadrons forming 466 Heavy Bombardment Group of the USAAF.
A pair of Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.
Wikipedia page below for anyone interested in more detailed history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Attlebridge
After surveying the south of the airfield we headed off west to Hockering woods, home of a major, yet secret WW2 bomb store- estimates of 10,000 tons of high explosive and Incendiary bombs were stored here, with local roads closed and tight security.
https://aviationtrails.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/hockering-wood-bomb-store-norfolk/
Footnote- the route has a couple of gentle hills – slopes really, leading down on both sides to the Wensum Valley where it crosses the main Norwich- Fakenham road. They may not appear much when in a car, but on a single speed bicycle, they make you sit up and take note, especially the last stage of the journey back up hill to Attlebridge station carpark.
Upon our return David and the NCC team had hot refreshments waiting- thanks to them for the experience and opportunity.
Sometimes a place so special, so important, exists on your doorstep, and although known in the periphery of your mind, only pulses the synapses when one is busy, or generates a ‘light bulb’ moment when a thousand miles away, or is remembered when driving past to be elsewhere on a deadline. Such as this.
A typical medieval Norfolk church. Our county is both blessed and cursed in having so many. Indeed Norfolk has more surviving medieval churches than anywhere else of similar size north of the Alps [635 remaining out of 1000 approx built]. So why is this one so special?
In the mid 15th Century, during the reign of King Henry VI, the incumbent Vicar of Barton Turf Church, Andrew Cok de Estryston, oversaw the painting of a typical Rood Screen in this small church, not far from Wroxham in the Norfolk Broads. They were all the rage and very fashionable.
Image of King Henry VI at Barton Turf
In this small church, dedicated to St Michael & All Angels, the clergy, laity and its benefactors made little attempt to disguise their reverence of the heavenly host, and – whether by divine providence or luck, the surviving paintings on this screen are an absolute delight and very rare indeed.
So, what makes this one so special? After all, there are hundreds of rood screens across England with painted saints on them. Lets take a closer look.
During the wave of Protestant reform and Puritanical Zeal, the vast majority of rood screens, wall paintings, fonts, panels and all Papist/Catholic imagery was fair game for the Iconoclasts hammer, knife or paintbrush.
There are 12 painted panels forming the 2 halves of this screen, six either side. Of these 12, ten images are perfect. As if painted yesterday. By some miracle escaping the destruction wrought across the rest of the country.
According to Thomas Aquinas, writing in Summa Theoligica, [second half of 13th Century] there are 9 Orders of Angels, in 3 heavenly Spheres.
- 1. Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones;
- 2. Dominions, Virtues, and Powers;
- 3. Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
Here are the first two images, to the left hand side of the central arch.
As you can see, typifying the vandalism of the age with faces crudely, hatefully scratched out.
The one on the left represents Dominions, the First Order of the Second Sphere (the Governors of the lower Angels). Interestingly, the triple crown on its head is typical of that worn by the Pope and thus made this image an easy target.
The right hand figure swinging the thuribule, with 6 wings, ermine tippet and body covered in red feathers, is the head honcho of the Heavenly Host, the Seraphim. [lit= the burning ones].
They are the highest angelic class and they serve as the caretakers of God’s Throne and continuously shout praises: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!
But now- a Revelation!
Here are the 2 images to the right hand side of the central arch. Just look at those faces!
The left angel here represents the Cherubim – the Second Order of the First Sphere, known as The Counsellors, and Guardians of the Tree of Life in the Garden in Eden.
Every feather has an eye hence all-seeing and omnipotent.
The right panel depicts Principalities, the First Order of the Third Sphere.
These are the angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of peoples, and institutions such as the Church. The Principalities preside over the bands of angels and charge them with fulfilling the divine ministry.
Back to the left hand side, central pairing.
The left image, of an angel in armour stomping on the devil, is usually attributed to The Archangel Michael, but here represents The Powers [the Third Order of the Second Sphere].
According to the information panel in the church this is Raphael, leader of Powers, but I’m not sure. Raphael is mentioned in the Deuterocanonical Book of Tobias as one of the Seven who stands before the Lord and I’ve always known him as an Archangel.
The right hand figure is most assuredly Virtues [Strongholds]. These are angels through which signs and miracles are made in the world. Typically 4 winged and blue feathered, with a lily.
Central Pair on Right Hand side
The left Angel defines Thrones, Third Order of the First Sphere, symbols of Justice & Authority [hence the Balance & the Throne]. It has 4 green wings.
The other Angel is attributed here as the Second Order of the Third Sphere, the Archangel Saint Michael, Captain of the Heavenly Angels and Satan’s nemesis, responsible for kicking him out of Heaven, here wielding mace & sword.
Other sources would say that Michael [ lit= like unto God] is the leader of the Seraphim and not just a mere archangel.
That leaves the last two pairings furthest away from the arch on either side.
Here we see [on the left] the 9th and most common of the Angels. Representing the Third Order of the Third Sphere, they are the ‘malakhim’- the messengers.
The strange shaped device in his left hand or attached to his girdle is an alms box; you can just make out the slot for coins. He has 4 wings and a spear.
The right hand panel depicts Saint Barbara- we have run out of the Angelic Host now, so three more saints are needed to complete the 12 panels and St Barbara is a worthy addition to the Screen. A 3rd century Martyr, one of the 14 Holy Helpers, she was beheaded by her own Father after he had her locked away in a Tower, hence the Tower held aloft in her right hand.
For the final panel of the Screen proper, we have two more female saints. Was the donor or patron of this Screen a Lady I wonder?
One the left, the furthest image is St 
Appollonia, depicted with the instrument of her torture- namely pincers, and the tooth held proudly aloft- now the Patron Saint of dentists.
Legend says she was threatened with the fire in 249 AD if she did not renounce Christianity, and sticking 2 proverbial fingers up at the mob, jumped into the flames of her own accord.
The final panel depicts St. Zita or Citha, an Italian- born maid servant from the 13th Century, who stole food from her masters kitchen to give to the poor- and surprisingly for the time was not only acquitted but praised for doing so.
So there it is. 2 miles from my house. If like me you get inspired by 15th Century art, whether van Eyck, Bosch or some crude red-ochre’d wallpainting, then make your own pilgrimage there. Take a comfy chair, and enjoy.
“An Angel can illuminate the thought and mind of man by strengthening the power of vision.” ~ St Thomas Aquinas
All images taken by me. Thanks for reading.
More pictures and info of this church from other sources here:
Battling knights, a petulant king – it must be Magna Carta. Come and join us as we share in SWAFFHAM 800 celebrations this weekend. The museum is offering free entry, there will be fire breathing, story telling and excellent music on the Camping Land and there are lots of things going on around the town and market place. Pubs are serving a special celebratory ale, there will be auctions in the market place and many shops and hotels are entering into the spirit by offering something special this weekend.
The royal Falconer and companions
This weekend sees celebrations in many parts of the world to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. In our country it’s being marked at Runnymede by a boat pageant amongst other things. However, up in King’s Lynn the angry barons of Black Knight Historical will be slogging it out with knights loyal to King John (yes, there were some!)
King’s Lynn are marking the momentous anniversary of King John’s humiliation by his powerful barons with a free festival in the Tuesday market square. Come and join us and discover more about the story behind the occasion, the impact of the Church, whether King John was the monster that history says he was – he would disagree – as well as the clothes, weaponry and customs that coloured this earlier medieval period.
Events run from 10-4pm on both days
BEFORE:The dilapidated state of the damaged thatch was to prove the least of our worries
I promised that I would come back to the subject of the Bronze Age roundhouse that we were hoping to repair last Autumn: a useful exercise in experimental archaeology, as we hoped to do the work as our ancestors would have done it, using replica tools and the minimum of modern equipment to satisfy safety requirements and common sense. Well it turned into quite a story. Read more…
Since the season for outdoor events came to an end with the usual flurry of re enactors’ markets in Cambridge and Rugby the main place to spot a member of bkh has been in and around the Flag Fen site just outside Peterborough, of which more in a minute.
However, schools all around the country are beginning to enjoy the range of possibilities that having a living interpreter can bring to their curriculum. Edith Cavell, WW 1 soldier Tommy Atkins and the army Padre ‘Willy Woodbine’ have all been busy in schools bringing to life not just the horrors and the conditions of life in the trenches but also the camaraderie in this special commemorative anniversary year.
As schools are working through the implications of changes to the curriculum there have been a number of requests for pirates,Saxon and Viking warriors and storytellers, and our Bronze and Iron Age teams have been busy with younger students.
In a recent full day visit pupils handled tools and weapons, learnt the techniques needed to make a roundhouse and tried their hand at making butter and drinking vessels. Each visit is tailored to a school’s requirements.
The year is far from ended though and if you are in the Grantham or North Norfolk areas please come and help us see the year out in style. The weekend of the 22-23 November sees a return to the fabulous building that is Stoke Rochford Hall near Grantham, Lincs where a second grand Victorian Christmas market with entertainment is being held
http://www.stokerochfordhall.co.uk/special-events/victorian-christmas-market.html
The first two weekends of December see members of the team return to Holkham Hall in North Norfolk where the downstairs Victorian kitchen team will again be preparing for Lord Holkham’s Christmas tea party while other members will be adding magic to the fairytale upstairs. The Christmas openings at Holkham are always magical, with the rooms decked out in their Christmas finery.
http://www.hha.org.uk/Events.aspx?id=62
http://www.holkham.co.uk/html/xmas_2014.html
As well as Father Christmas outside in the courtyard, the house is hosting the far older and more mysterious Holly king. He is an ancient spirit and might be seen anywhere in the house – but remember to be on your best behaviour if you meet him.
Lastly, the weekend just before Christmas gives you a last chance to get into the festive mood if you visit Blickling Hall, also in north Norfolk. There will be a large marquee with a range of events for children, a festive trail and World War One soldiers and their sweethearts celebrating a day of peace.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate/things-to-see-and-do/events/more-seasonal-events/
News on the roundhouse will be coming soon. We wish all our readers and every visitor to Black Knight Historical events a very happy Chrstmastide
Black Knight Historical has never been afraid of attempting a new challenge. We have stayed a number of times in the Bronze Age roundhouse, a turf roofed replica sited at Flag Fen Archaeology Park just outside Peterborough so we were sad to hear that it had suffered a partial collapse earlier in the year following the unseasonably wet winter. However, those of us who had stayed there felt rather proprietorial towards it, so were up for the challenge of helping to repair it using what we now understand of Bronze Age methods.
Life, however, has the habit of throwing curved balls so as we were converging on Peterborough we were not to know until we arrived that the building was in rather a worse state than any of us had expected. As challenges go, it would prove to be one that tested our stamina, determination, our teamwork and our endurance.
Fortunately, unlike our bronze Age ancestors, we were able to capture the work in progress. Did we succeed? There we will leave you guessing for a few days, but pop back after the bank holiday to read the story of a roundhouse returning, complete with pictures.
Nursing practice varies little whether military or civilian.
Just one of the stylish ladies’ fashions on show at 1914 remembered events
The wild poppy has been an iconic reminder of the Great War since it was written about in 1915 by John McCrae
As August 4th draws ever closer, a number of towns and museums have chosen to mark the start of the ‘War to end all Wars’ by remembering the long, hot, perfect Summer that preceded the carnage of the trenches. In so many ways, August 4th marks not just the start of the 100th anniversary of the Great War, but it marks the end of the way of life that people had followed for centuries. As an entire generation of young men left the land their fathers and grandfathers had farmed and worked on, it was inevitable that land management would change. Girls and young women stepped up to take on the roles that had previously been exclusively male: they worked in factories, on buses, drove cars. The great houses, once staffed by numerous indoor and outdoor staff who left to join up ,which had enabled the luxurious lifestyle of the few, faltered and began to see new roles – as hospitals and convalescent homes, training centres or rest centres for officers.
Black Knight Historical has been and will continue to be busy at sites bringing its uniquely sensitive portrayal of this changing time. Peterborough Museum has opened an exhibition about the First World War, focussing on local people and the City and last weekend this was supplemented by a BKH Tommie and recruiting sergeant well known for his vocal talents.
The Imperial War Museum at Duxford, which has frequently hosted a BKH interpreter, saw both World War 1 and 2 personnel ‘working’ on their planes over the weekend. Woburn Abbey has hosted a series of days with a First World War military nurse (QAIMNs) and a wounded soldier. Do check their websites if you are planning to visit: often listening to a researched narrative or asking questions will bring a distant period of history to life more vividly than watching a screen. No matter how well done a film or documentary, part of us can remain detached in a way that is impossible when you are face to face with a good interpreter.
Speaking of good interpreters, nurse Edith Cavell, a quiet Norfolk heroine who was shot by the Germans in 1915, has also been busy. She first appeared at the tremendously successful Peterborough Living History and Heritage festival in June. With her quiet, authoritative manner and calm demeanour she has been showing children how to administer first aid to parental volunteers and has proven very popular with them, if not their heavily bandaged parents.
We are currently enjoying a fabulous Summer, just like that of 1914, but when term starts again and big events are over, the recruiting sergeant, Nurse Cavell, military nurses and Tommies will again be working in classrooms around the country, trying to help children understand what it was like to be transported from your village first to a training camp to learn to obey orders unquestioningly, form up, march, drill and so on, and then to arrive at a posting, to live and watch others die in the mud, to fear the sweeping chlorine gas and the crump of guns. These sessions are invariably useful for teachers as the stimulus provided and the opportunity to ask questions allows a springboard for creative thought and learning.
The last two weekends have been busy for us on a larger scale, too: last weekend saw the BKH team at St. Neots, joining in their annual event. This time the sea of khaki serge was broken by ladies parading their summer fashions as wives and sweethearts strolled with loved ones before they left for the front. Appreciative thanks to the lovely ladies of Betty Bumbles tearoom for providing gallons of tea and sandwiches to keep everyone going on a warm day
The previous weekend, the 19th of July, we were privileged to be invited to share in the culmination of a huge local community heritage project which was designed to recognise and celebrate the heroism and sacrifice of the Lowestoft fishermen who continued to work and provide food despite the ever present threat of Uboats and the loss of shipping convoys, manned by these sailors. Everyone was so welcoming: we had good audiences for the fashion shows, monologues, reminiscences and poetry readings. The plaques unveiled at the station and the others which will be sited around the town are all designed by local students who have also been engaged in compiling a living archive and record of all the men involved between 1914-1918. We are proud to have been invited to add some period colour and detail to all these events.
This weekend sees one of the best free multi period living history events in the country. The Peterborough Living History Festival takes place in and all around the Cathedral and Green, spilling over into the town centre and the Dean’s garden.
Over 3000 years of our history are represented, beginning with local history from the Bronze Age and the nearby site of Flag Fen, continuing with the Romans, travelling through the Dark and Medieval Ages to the turbulent reign of King Henry VIII who will be giving an audience in the Cathedral with his unfortunate first wife, Katherine of Aragon. The well known local figure of the Tudor grave digger might be glimpsed and later periods are represented right through to the time of the Normandy landings, the 70th Anniversary of which have just been celebrated.
Special events and exhibitions will take place inside the Cathedral during the weekend and there will be a demonstration arena outside the Green in the town centre. The museum nearby will be open all weekend, and in addition to being able to chat to any of the re enactors present, all of whom share a passion for their period, there will be opportunities for unusual period retail therapy (there is also a special visiting market outside in the town). A range of children’s activities are also planned. This tremendous event, hosted by the Cathedral and organised by Vivacity for the City council, has grown year on year into a tremendously enjoyable celebration of history both local and national. Black Knight are proud to be representing both ends of the time scale: both the local team from the Bronze Age site at Flag Fen and the World War 2 interpreters, as well as King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine are being provided by Black Knight Historical. Do come along and share in a day of time travel.
http://www.vivacity-peterborough.com/festivals/heritage-festival/
Bank holidays are a time for rest, relaxation, perhaps a spot of gardening or a barbeque if the weather is good. Not if you are part of Black Knight Historical: the team has its busiest weekend ever, with interpreters covering a huge time range over 5 different sites.
The earliest period we visit is at the fabulous Flag Fen archaeology park, just on the edge of Peterborough, where, weather permitting, work will continue on the dug out canoe. Vivacity for the City Council have organised a major weekend of events, including hands on activities for children where they can try their hand at archaeology, or make their own ‘bronze age’ blade. Many of the BKH team took part in the recent Time Team special which showcased the recent sea edge excavations in Northumberland, and they will be living, cooking and eating in the roundhouse. Flint knapping, spinning and weaving are all on going skills.
We then take a huge leap forward a couple of millennia to the late Middle Ages. At Blickling Hall in north Norfolk the period will be the 1450s when the first house was built and owned by Nicholas Dagworthy, the predecessor of the more famous residents, the Boleyn family. All sorts of Medieval fun and games will be going on there – fighting, trading and demonstrations of skills of the period. Check out the National Trust website for more information, and how to get there.
In many ways Gressenhall workhouse, also in Norfolk, was a model for its time. It’s another beautiful site, with its own farm, rare breed animals and working horses as well as a museum of social life. Over the Bank holiday, however, it will come back to life in a period of social need and deprivation: the 1860s. BKH are providing warders and inmates, so if you are in the area come to Gressenhall for the day and meet the inhabitants and learn their stories.
Both the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and Woburn Abbey move us into the last century, a time of two World Wars and conflicts. Both sites are well known and this weekend will have costumed members of Black Knight Historical in residence to bring to life the stories behind the history. Following the recent TV series, Woburn is reprising its time as a convalescent home during World War 1 and has a member of the army nursing service, QAIMNs, along with a wounded soldier reliving their experiences at the front. So it depends where you are and what your interest, but it is true that this weekend BKH are offering a huge range of events and knowledge, and we would love to share it with visitors.
This weekend (17-18th May) it all happens in King’s Lynn. The Black Knight team are bringing medieval artisans, tradesmen and demonstrators to join a day of celebration here in honour of the Hanseatic League, a trading organisation formed in the early Middle Ages to protect and facilitate trading throughout northern Europe. Only the City of Kingston upon Hull and King’s Lynn belong to this amongst all the English ports, and the day is being celebrated simultaneously in other Hanse towns as far away as Latvia, Poland and Russia. The theme of this free festival is song and dance, and other Hanse towns are sending groups to join with King’s Lynn, so expect lots of music and dancing as well as story telling, fire eaters and characters from the late Middle Ages who would have populated the Quay.
The fun and festivities start with a parade at midday and continue along the Quay and around the Hanse warehouse, the only remaining building of its kind in England, throughout the afternoon and evening. During the evening the well known group the Medieval Baebes will perform and the day ends with fireworks as darkness falls. Celebrations continue throughout the weekend
http://www.kingslynnonline.com/2014/05/hanse-day-will-be-packed-with-events
http://www.visitwestnorfolk.com/explore/kings-lynn/history/international-hanse-day
http://www.visitwestnorfolk.com/explore/kings-lynn/history/hanseatic-kings-lynn
St George battling with the fire belching dragon
Come along to Vauxhall Gardens between Noon and 6pm and share in the fun and celebrations. The renowned Yarnsmith of Norwich will be retelling the ancient tale in his inimitable and entertaining style, helped in his narration by the main characters: St. George, the Dragon (complete with fiery breath which is enough to pot roast any armoured knight) and even a fair princess. There will be archery, battles and combat demonstrations, maidens and knights. Morris dancers, a falconry display and a Punch and Judy show will all combine to celebrate this ancient battling saint. It is said that even the puppets can breathe fire, but to discover the truth you will need to join us to find out. With a craft market, food and an English beer tent, all that we need is a proper Spring day of sunshine to make this community event complete.
http://www.friendsofvauxhallpleasuregardens.org.uk/events.htm
During the Winter months the Black Knight Historical team tend to be rather busy. This is when we have the opportunity to engage our collective passion of inspiring interest and enthusiasm in the next generation through interactive school days. From Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 3; from Ancient Egyptians, Bronze Age Settlers and the activities of Queen Boudicca as she opposed the Romans through to First World War soldiers and nurses and into the Twentieth Century, we have a school day that can be organised to suit the requirements of teachers and students.
In the last few months children have learned about life in a castle or great estate, discovered what life was really like as a princess, knight or a man at arms. They have handled armour and weapons and discovered just how heavy it all was. Others have discovered how strict the teacher was in a Victorian classroom, why there was such fierce discipline, and then tried their hand at the sums, writing and lessons which their great, great grandparents would have experienced. Some students will be travelling back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians in order to learn about their beliefs and practices, how to mummify a body and to meet some of the great Egyptologists and hear of their discoveries.
How life changed in this country after the Norman Conquest, medicine and cures, crime and punishment and life in each of the earlier centuries comes to life in front of the students’ eyes. They handle the same items that their ancestors would have used and, most importantly, they can ask questions. None of the Black Knight Historical team need to use a script. They are experienced historians who have researched their period and can engage students with the range of their knowledge.
We have recently launched a new brochure which gives more information about our school activities and how they can be tailored to suit a school class or other group. If you are interested in discovering more about how Black Knight Historical can bring the past alive for you, then email us at info@blackknighthistorical.co.uk, or phone 01692 535613
Black Knight Historical is privileged to have team members at Bletchley Park on Wednesday, 5th February where they will represent members of the ATS and WRNS.The work done at Bletchley during the Second World War is becoming increasingly well documented as veterans have finally felt able to talk about the important work that was done there in decoding secret military messages sent from the German High Command.
Most people nowadays have heard of the Enigma machines that were used by the Germans earlier in the war. Once one of these machines was captured it was only time before the cryptographers (codebreakers) were able to interpret the messages that were being sent by the Axis High Command. The Enigma system was subsequently refined by C. Lorenz AG in Berlin whose SZ Schlüsselzusatz (or cipher attachment in English) machines implemented a Vernam stream cipher. Messages using the Lorenz cipher were used by the German High Command to positions throughout Europe from 1942, and more generally from early mid 1943 onwards. Cracking them is popularly believed by historians to have shortened the war by anything up to 2 or 3 years.
However, unlike Enigma, no Lorenz cipher was ever captured. The messages were sent via radio telegraph rather than using Morse code and the Lorenz cipher changed the plaintext into a cipher text that was uninterpretable to anyone who didn’t have an identical machine set up with the pseudorandom sequencing system. The battle at Bletchley, therefore, was to solve the seemingly unsolvable.
John Tiltman, Bill Tutte and of course, Alan Turing, were instrumental in making the immense intellectual leap that led to understanding the Lorenz cipher and a prototype Tunny Machine which would speed up the decoding sequence was built at Tommy Flowers’ laboratory at Dollis Hill where the General Post Office’s research station was based. Tommy Flowers realised from his work with Heath Robinson (who is now best remembered for his cartoons and crazy invention drawings)that he could build a bigger and faster machine that did not require WRNS operatives to plug in stops like in a telegraph exchange, but which could operate entirely electronically using 1000s of valves.
This enormous, room-filling and ground breaking machine, the Colossus, is celebrating its 70th anniversary tomorrow at Bletchley before an invited audience. It has been fully restored to working order for some time now and forms the focus of the British Museum of Computing which is fittingly based at Bletchley Park.
As Colossus rapidly proved its value in decoding messages more were ordered so that a total of 10 were based at Bletchley by the time the war came to an end in 1945.
Tommy Flowers, the Colossus machines, but why Fish? This was a play on the original German name. Early in the war they had called one of their wireless teleprinter transmission systems ‘Sagefisch’ (sawfish) which led the teams at Bletchley to refer to the German encrypted teleprinter traffic as ‘fish’. The non Morse links were subsequently called ‘Tunny’and used to refer to transmissions using the Lorenz cipher.
For a concise explanation of this process please link to the BBC site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26076083 which is currently showing a short video of the sequence from a Ywing intercept at Knockholt through to the decryption using a Tunny machine
Black Knight Historical wishes all its visitors, friends, team and twitter followers around the world a very happy, successful and interesting new year. There are both old friends and new venues for this year which sees the anniversary of the start of the Great War as well as many other historically important anniversaries throughout the ages.
Pensthorpe (in August) celebrates 10 years of its Medieval Spectacular, an event which has grown year on year. Many families tell us repeatedly that it is something they look forward to joining each August, and they anticipate both the familiar and the unexpected events that make for a great day out.
Schools continue to play an important part of BKH education outreach, and with team members around the country, children studying Key Stages 1-3 find their history lessons enlivened by visitors from periods as diverse as the Bronze Age, the Romans, Norman knights, Tudor monarchs, Victorian servants and the unsung heroes of the First and Second World War who kept things going, either in the home or fighting in the Forces.
For those who like a daily fix of history there is the 2014 Black Knight calendar, some copies of which are still available if you contact BKH. Watch this space for more information about the events and sites we will be visiting during the coming year.
yes, really, a full size unicorn spotted briefly on Sunday morning
The Winter wonderland inside the Hall
The wait to see Father Christmas has been enlivened with a storyteller and a walk through Wonderland that had grownups desperate for children so they could go through the grotto too. We kept hearing comments about how the Holkham Christmas experience has gone from strength to strength, and how it was the best start to Christmas anywhere in the country.
For the Black Knight team this is our last event of the year. At Holkham Hall the servants are once again busy in the Victorian kitchen preparing Lord Augustus Holkham’s legendary Christmas tea. As we did last year, all the recipes are from around 1860-1870 or thereabouts, with a few coming from family receipts passed down through generations. As our Christmas present to readers, we are putting a selection of those recipes up on the newsite for a limited time. There will soon be lots to tell about a wide variety of new events coming next year (as well as some older favourites – for example Pensthorpe Medieval Spectacular, in August, will celebrate its 10th anniversary) so these recipes will only be around till Christmas. We hope you enjoy them, but do remember, tastes change.
The housekeeper, Mrs Furtle, adds finishing touches to a dish of sweetmeats
Holkham Hall is one of the country’s greatest treasure houses. From the marble hall, up the grand staircase and through to the state rooms beyond it is a journey of delight. For the past few years the house has come to life during two weekends before Christmas when it is magically lit and decorated for the festive season. Christmas at Holkham has rapidly established itself as the must see event in Norfolk – even Scrooge would be hard pressed to stay grumpy wandering through the rooms which in the past have included giant gingerbread houses, an enchanted woodland full of magical creatures and a very special Christmas rabbit. (Yes, you did read that correctly).So where does Black Knight Historical fit in to all this? Well, in addition to the fabulous decorations which are amongst the best you will see anywhere in England, the craft market in the courtyard, Father Christmas and his helpers – and just possibly, even a glimpse of his reindeer – it is a working home. It has a Victorian kitchen, again one of the best preserved in the country, and once again the Black Knight Downstairs Staff will be working to prepare Lord Augustus Holkham’s legendary Christmas tea for his guests, whom you may encounter as you walk thorugh the rooms.
If you have ever watched an episode of any historical series, it is the way the serving classes managed that capture our attention. Children may be assessed for their suitability for a life in service – there are plenty of jobs to go around – or after visiting the house there are plenty of Winter walks to take, perhaps to see the ice house which was essential to the smooth running of the kitchen, or down to the lake.
Victorian market at Stoke Rochford (BKH)
Instead of spending your weekend trying to find a parking space in town before fighting through throngs of people in identikit shops, all looking for that elusive ‘special’ present, divert off the A1 towards Grantham and head instead for the gentle luxury of Stoke Rochford Hall. Here, in four spacious decorated rooms you can browse through the stalls at this new Victorian themed Christmas market. This is not the average outdoor Christmas market where the wind will bite your fingers whenever you open a purse or wallet: it’s warm, there are seats, refreshments – everything from a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie to a full luncheon will be available. When shopping begins to pall you can head off for a spin around the on site Christmas skating rink. What a civilised way to begin the countdown to Christmas as December arrives.
This event welcomes visitors by offering free admission. There is a small charge for the use and upkeep of the temporary skating rink
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